A Wildly Elegant Fall Wedding

The way Sara Colangelo and Chris Trujillo met, in 2013, was so perfect it almost felt scripted: They were working on a film together, in which the bride character is a writer and the groom is a production designer. They say art imitates life, and in reality, Sara is a writer/director—she's currently working on The Kindergarten Teacher with Maggie Gyllenhaal—and Chris is the production designer on Stranger Things. The Brooklyn-based couple made it official on November 5, 2016, just months after Chris proposed during a hike through the pine trees on an archipelago outside Stockholm, soon after they got pregnant. And because they organized the wedding for 150 quickly (in just two and a half months!), they focused on what mattered most. Sara says, “We couldn’t hem and haw over details, and just went with our guts.” Those instincts led them to their dream venue: Blue Hill at Stone Barns, in Pocantico Hills, New York. They’re both longtime fans of Blue Hill’s seasonal farm-to-table ethic, food, attention to sustainability—as well as its bucolic location and proximity to New York City. “We both love to cook and appreciate their attention to detail, so it was a no-brainer,” says the bride, who was six months pregnant for the big day.

For their fall wedding, the couple also went with seasonal, wild, and elegant décor. “We liked the idea of pairing the warm colors of fall with navy or midnight blue—it was a color that wouldn’t compete with our natural surroundings during the day and give the rest of the evening a formal soiree feel.” With the help of wedding planner Tzo Ai Ang of Ang Wedding and Events, they created an overall look that was accented by beautiful food, flowers, and autumn colors. Keep reading to see more of their dream day, as photographed by Judy Pak, below!

In keeping with their navy palette, Katie Fischer Design created a dark invitation suite that featured copper text.

The couple chose Blue Hill at Stone Barns for not just its incredible food but the atmosphere. “We envisioned an aesthetic that would be festive and elegant, but not too fussy,” says Sara.

In keeping with the midnight blue palette, Chris wore a bespoke navy blue Martin Greenfield tux, with Lanvin bowtie and cufflinks. Meanwhile, his bride was in a silk Elizabeth Fillmore gown with flower appliqués.

“All of Elizabeth’s dresses hugged the body in an elegant way, and draped so beautifully over the belly,” says Sara. “Her dresses feel so ethereal and lightweight so you feel like you can move and really be yourself in them.”

When it came to her bouquet, Sara wanted something “unfussy and wild,” and chose a floral designer who arranges “in such a beautiful Dutch still-life sort of way.” Her ultimate floral accent comprised Italian eucalyptus, roses, porcelain berry, chocolate cosmos, ranunculus and tree peonies, wrapped in blush-colored silk ribbon. Sara’s “something new” were her blue velvet shoes, while she borrowed sapphire earrings from her mom that ticked two boxes.

Six bridesmaids in navy Amsale styles and six groomsmen made up the adult portion of the wedding party, while they also had the bride’s best friend’s daughters as flower girls.

The flower girls wore Isabel Garreton dresses with bolero sweaters and flower crowns, and carried simple baskets of petals.

Sara donned a long lace veil for the ceremony, which was a Christian ceremony held on the upper floor of the Stone Barn at 6:30 pm. They had close friends read from works by Tony Kushner and E.E. Cummings.

The couple exchanged rings purchased at Catbird in Brooklyn. The ceremony décor featured a beautiful large rug, where the couple stood, with large urns filled with flowers flanking them on either side. Hurricane candles also lined the large window behind them to create a romantic, intimate environment.

The feeling of their day was unmistakably autumnal, just as the couple envisioned. Sara says, “We wanted to pair the food with flowers and decorative elements that were also a reflection of the season and not too on the nose for a fall wedding.” (Mission accomplished!)

In the entryway of the barn, escort cards were placed on a large table decorated by whimsical floral arrangements. The table numbers matched, on midnight blue paper, with hand-painted metallic calligraphy in a mix of copper and gold.

Together Chris and Sara created three signature cocktails: the groom’s "Tobacco Road," the bride’s "Champagne Bramble," and the baby's "Ginger Leaf Switchel," a non-alcoholic option.

Like the ceremony, the seated dinner took place in the Hayloft, which was transformed during cocktail hour with floral arrangements in bold, rich colors as well as scattered orange persimmons—a staple of Sara’s childhood that signified the coming of winter.

As the evening wore on, the flowers evolved from blush and warm peach tones to more saturated, rich shades displaying more purple, gold and deep chocolate tones, along with some grayish-green gourds in spots. The couple also chose gold-colored table linens and saffron-colored candles in keeping with the palette.

Sara and Chris loved everything on their evening’s three-course menu—including Maine lobster and beet salad—but Sara’s favorites were the lamb loin and belly with risotto and their wedding cake, a vanilla chiffon with apple and creme fraiche filling frosted with off-white buttercream. “We added some beautiful fresh flowers for decoration, but kept it simple,” she says.” At the rehearsal dinner the night before they had a groom’s cake: a Carvel ice cream cake (Chris’ favorite) with baby pictures of the couple on it.

Beyond great food, the couple wanted to ensure a great party, and it ended with a DJ who went until 1 a.m. They even flew a jazz band, called Roamin’ Jasmine, that they’d discovered in New Orleans up to play. “We watched them play one night at a wine bar/jazz club called Bacchanal in the Bywater and swore if we ever got married we’d contact them," Sara explains. The band played for their first dance to “My Blue Heaven,” which they’d played when the couple was in New Orleans. Sara says, “It was serendipitously about a couple expecting a baby, so it was pretty perfect.”